Dolores Alexander
Encyclopedia
Dolores Alexander was a lesbian feminist
, writer
, and reporter. Alexander is the only Executive Director of the National Organization of Women (NOW) to have resigned because of the homophobic beliefs in the early inception of NOW. She co-opened "Mother Courage" with Jill Ward, creating the first feminist restaurant in the United States. Until her death, in 2008, she continued to believe in the need for the women's rights movement in contemporary times, stating that "It's bigotry, and I don't know if you can eliminate it".
, where she attended Catholic school
. In 1961 she graduated from City College of New York
with a Bachelor of Arts
in Language and Literature. During her senior year she worked at The New York Times
as a intern reporter for 10 months, gaining experience in journalism and her first taste of sexism within the news field: while applying for positions at the Times, she was not hired as a "copy girl" by a male employee because it would "cause a revolution in the newsroom". Upon graduation, she worked as a reporter, copy editor and bureau chief
at the Newark Evening News
from 1961–1964. She then went on to serve as a reporter, copy editor and assistant women's editor at Newsday
, also serving as a feature writer for the publication's weekend magazine until 1969.
In 1966, while working at Newsday, Alexander came across a press release announcing the creation of a new women's rights
organization: the National Organization of Women (NOW). She interviewed Betty Friedan
and with her media experience, she became chair of the Monitor Subcommittee of the National Task Force on Image of Women in Mass Media. In 1969 she became the first Executive Director of NOW. She established the headquarters in New York City
, and served as an editor of NOW's national newsletter, NOW Acts. She offered to pay the $5 dues for women who could not afford to become members, and fronted a campaign to boost membership nationwide.
In May 1970, she resigned as director to protest against NOW's homophobic practices and policies. Even in her later years, she continued to be disgruntled by the negativity that the words "lesbian" and "feminist" had within the early organization, believing the terms were being used like weapons' to undercut NOW members". Alexander continued to lecture about women's rights and worked with the New Feminist Talent Collective, which was formed by Jaqui Michot Ceballos to provide the services of speakers about the women's movement. She co-founded and organized Women Against Pornography
and worked with New York Radical Feminists
. Alexander served as board member for the National Association for Repeal of Abortion Laws
, an advisory board member for the New York NOW chapter and was a member of the New York Newspaper Women's Club. Alexander was a notable figure in numerous events in the women's movement. She helped integrate the want ads in The New York Times, the lesbian purge of the National Organization of Women, 1977's National Women's Conference
in Houston, and the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women
in Beijing
in 1995.
, New York. The first feminist restaurant in the United States, it inspired three other feminist restaurants to open in the country during its first three years. The restaurant was named after Mother Courage
, a character in a play by Bertolt Brecht
. Their lack of restaurant experience made it difficult to obtain a bank loan, leading them to borrow money from friends to renovate a run-down luncheonette. Men and women attended the restaurant, and women took priority. Wine was poured for women to taste rather than their male guests, and checks were placed within equal distance of diners. The restaurant encouraged women to dine alone, creating a safe haven, allowing a solo diner to know "she won't feel like a freak and won't get hassled by men". Author Lucy Komisar
described "Mother Courage" as "More than a restaurant, this is part of a social movement."
at Smith College
; the Schlesinger Library
at Harvard University
has another collection of her papers. As her health declined, she stepped back from the movement spotlight, preferring to watch a new generation of activists "lead the change". On May 13, 2008, Alexander died in Palm Harbor, Florida
.
Lesbian feminism
Lesbian feminism is a cultural movement and critical perspective, most popular in the 1970s and early 1980s , that questions the position of lesbians and women in society. It particularly refutes heteronormativity, the assumption that everyone is "straight" and society should be structured to serve...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and reporter. Alexander is the only Executive Director of the National Organization of Women (NOW) to have resigned because of the homophobic beliefs in the early inception of NOW. She co-opened "Mother Courage" with Jill Ward, creating the first feminist restaurant in the United States. Until her death, in 2008, she continued to believe in the need for the women's rights movement in contemporary times, stating that "It's bigotry, and I don't know if you can eliminate it".
Early life and career
Dolores Alexander was born in Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, where she attended Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
. In 1961 she graduated from City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Language and Literature. During her senior year she worked at The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as a intern reporter for 10 months, gaining experience in journalism and her first taste of sexism within the news field: while applying for positions at the Times, she was not hired as a "copy girl" by a male employee because it would "cause a revolution in the newsroom". Upon graduation, she worked as a reporter, copy editor and bureau chief
News bureau
A News bureau is an office for gathering or distributing news. Similar terms are used for specialized bureaus, often to indicate geographic location or scope of coverage: a ‘Tokyo bureau’ refers to a given news operation's office in Tokyo; foreign bureau is a generic term for a news office set up...
at the Newark Evening News
Newark Evening News
The Newark Evening News was an American newspaper published in Newark, New Jersey. As New Jersey's largest city, Newark played a major role in New Jersey's journalistic history. At its apex, The News was widely regarded as the newspaper of record in New Jersey. It had bureaus in Montclair,...
from 1961–1964. She then went on to serve as a reporter, copy editor and assistant women's editor at Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
, also serving as a feature writer for the publication's weekend magazine until 1969.
Feminism
Until that time I had always felt like a weirdo, the only person who felt out of step with the world around her. I knew we needed a women's movement. This is what I had been waiting for. – Dolores Alexander, 2007.
In 1966, while working at Newsday, Alexander came across a press release announcing the creation of a new women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
organization: the National Organization of Women (NOW). She interviewed Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was an American writer, activist, and feminist.A leading figure in the Women's Movement in the United States, her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking the "second wave" of American feminism in the twentieth century...
and with her media experience, she became chair of the Monitor Subcommittee of the National Task Force on Image of Women in Mass Media. In 1969 she became the first Executive Director of NOW. She established the headquarters in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and served as an editor of NOW's national newsletter, NOW Acts. She offered to pay the $5 dues for women who could not afford to become members, and fronted a campaign to boost membership nationwide.
In May 1970, she resigned as director to protest against NOW's homophobic practices and policies. Even in her later years, she continued to be disgruntled by the negativity that the words "lesbian" and "feminist" had within the early organization, believing the terms were being used like weapons' to undercut NOW members". Alexander continued to lecture about women's rights and worked with the New Feminist Talent Collective, which was formed by Jaqui Michot Ceballos to provide the services of speakers about the women's movement. She co-founded and organized Women Against Pornography
Women Against Pornography
Women Against Pornography was a radical feminist activist group based out of New York City and an influential force in the anti-pornography movement of the late 1970s and the 1980s....
and worked with New York Radical Feminists
New York Radical Feminists
New York Radical Feminists was a radical feminist group founded by Shulamith Firestone and Anne Koedt in 1969, after they had left Redstockings and The Feminists, respectively. Firestone's and Koedt's desire to start this new group was aided by Vivian Gornick's 1969 Village Voice article, "The...
. Alexander served as board member for the National Association for Repeal of Abortion Laws
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America , formerly the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then National Abortion Rights Action League, and later National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose...
, an advisory board member for the New York NOW chapter and was a member of the New York Newspaper Women's Club. Alexander was a notable figure in numerous events in the women's movement. She helped integrate the want ads in The New York Times, the lesbian purge of the National Organization of Women, 1977's National Women's Conference
National Women's Conference
In the spirit of the United Nations' proclamation that 1975 was the International Women's Year, on January 9, 1974, U.S. President Gerald Ford issued Executive Order 11832 creating a National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year "to promote equality between men and women"...
in Houston, and the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women
Fourth World Conference on Women
The United Nations convened the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace on 4-15 September 1995 in Beijing, China. 189 governments and more than 5,000 representatives from 2,100 non-governmental organizations participated in the Conference...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 1995.
Mother Courage
In 1972, Alexander and Jill Ward opened "Mother Courage", a feminist restaurant in Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, New York. The first feminist restaurant in the United States, it inspired three other feminist restaurants to open in the country during its first three years. The restaurant was named after Mother Courage
Mother Courage
Mother Courage is a character from a Grimmelshausen novel Lebensbeschreibung der Ertzbetrügerin und Landstörtzerin Courasche dating from around 1670...
, a character in a play by Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
. Their lack of restaurant experience made it difficult to obtain a bank loan, leading them to borrow money from friends to renovate a run-down luncheonette. Men and women attended the restaurant, and women took priority. Wine was poured for women to taste rather than their male guests, and checks were placed within equal distance of diners. The restaurant encouraged women to dine alone, creating a safe haven, allowing a solo diner to know "she won't feel like a freak and won't get hassled by men". Author Lucy Komisar
Lucy Komisar
Lucy Komisar is a New York City-based investigative journalist. She writes about offshore banking, corporate secrecy, international money laundering, and how they relate to corporate fraud; international corruption; the looting by dictators; financing of terrorism; international crime including...
described "Mother Courage" as "More than a restaurant, this is part of a social movement."
Later life and legacy
In 2003, Alexander donated some of her papers to the Sophia Smith CollectionSophia Smith Collection
The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. It was founded by Margaret Storrs Grierson in 1942 to be the library's distinctive contribution to the college's mission...
at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
; the Schlesinger Library
Schlesinger Library
The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America is a research library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. According to Nancy F...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
has another collection of her papers. As her health declined, she stepped back from the movement spotlight, preferring to watch a new generation of activists "lead the change". On May 13, 2008, Alexander died in Palm Harbor, Florida
Palm Harbor, Florida
Palm Harbor is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 59,248.-Culture:...
.
External links
- Dolores Alexander oral history from the Voices of Feminism Oral History Project